Data migration may generally include transferring any type of data from one storage device, format, or system to another storage device, format, or system. Data migration is often required when organizations or individuals upgrade computer systems, merge existing systems, replatform operating systems in which the database resides, or transfer data between locations. Generally, data must be extracted from the old system and loaded onto the new system if the existing database operating system is not compatible with a migration that is acceptable to a business. For example, it may be necessary to move data between databases when switching to a new database vendor or upgrading an existing version of a database. This may include physical data migration and may change the underlying data format.